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SOMETIMES A DOOR SWITCH GOES BAD AND BACK FEEDS POWER THAT RUNS THE FAN AND IF IT HAS IT SOMETIMES THE TURNTABLE TOO SO YOU HEAR THE FAN RUN ALL THE TIME BUT TYPICALLY IT IS NOT HEATING. YOU COULD PUT A SMALL CUP OF WATER INSIDE TO SEE IF IT IS HEATING, PROBABLY BAD DOOR SWITCHES OR BAD CONTROLLER.
When it did heat food before and you used the same settings now, the microwave must be defect.
But before you are sure, put a cup with water in the micro and try to heat that.
Dry food can't be heated in a microwave. There must be some moist in the food if you want to heat it in the microwave.
Foods that are low in
density or low in moisture (such as bacon and popcorn, respectively)
can cause the magnetron to overheat.
That's because there is
not enough of either mass or moisture to absorb enough of the microwave
energy put out by the oven.
The
excess energy then reflects back to the magnetron and causes a standing
wave (like a poorly tuned transmitter antenna) and causes the magnetron
to overload and overheat.
When the mag gets too
hot, it trips
the magnetron thermostat, a protective device which rests when it cools.
If this overheating is a
persistent problem, a
stopgap is to put about 1/3 to 1/2 a cup of water in a microwave-safe
container (a Pyrex measuring cup is ideal) in a REAR CORNER
of
the microwave whenever you cook such items. This will help absorb
excess energy, but you may have to increase cooking time just a little.
And
of course I always suggest that food items be placed off-center in the
microwave, NOT in the center of the turntable, otherwise the food is
not exposed evenly enough to the microwave energy and will not heat as
efficiently as it could.
(Placing it in the
center is sort of
like stirring paint by twirling a stick in the center instead of
pulling it around in a circle in the paint can).
Such inefficient heating
wastes the energy at best, and at worst it puts a strain on the
magnetron.
If
a magnetron is repeatedly subjected to such stress, it will prematurely
fail. It will also draw excessive current, which can strain the
high-voltage transformer.
That in turn will often
lead to the
oven's drawing excessive current, resulting in a hot cord and plug, and
the fuse will blow - hopefully before the transformer or
magnetron
does!
An overheating magnetron
can be due to:
operating
oven without cover(s) in place
wrong
magnetron installed in oven
an old or
otherwise failing magnetron
cracked
magnetron magnet
improper
power line voltage (should be 110-125VAC)
foods low in
moisture (popcorn & bacon, e.g. - add 1/2 cup of water in rear
oven)
failed or
inoperable cooling fan or hood vent exhaust fan
deteriorating
foam weatherstripping seals in air ducts or on outside cover
blocked air
vents (dust, animal nest debris, insufficient free air space behind
& around oven, etc.)
clogged or
greasy charcoal filter or grease filter
Hello, I had the same problem, and just fixed mine. Start by turning on your microwave (on mine, the light turned on and timer worked, but the fan nor the plate turned)... push the door upward and see if the microwave turns on... (mine did). so far so good. open the door and take the upper hinge cap off with flat head screwdrive. take the door off and place a small washer on the bottom hinge, put the door back on. your microwave should be good now. essentially, the door just needs to be pushed up a bit so it will work.
good luck, hope that works for you...
if everything works except the heating, it is most likely the mag tube is on its way out.........that is the most common reason for it not too cook.......since the microwave is a GE and it is 3.5 years old, i would say you are better off buying a new microwave, the mag tube starts at around $70.00 and up + the labor it costs too have a service person put it in........around another $60.00
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